Automobile cigar and cigarette lighter



March 1927.

29, B. 1.. METZGER AUTOMOBILE CIGAR AND CIGARETTE LIGHTER Filed Nov. 1925 Patented Mar. 29, 192 7e UNITED STATES 1,622,334 PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN L. HETZGER, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

-AUTOMOBILE CIGAR AND CIGARETTE LIGHTER.

Application filed NoYen ber'BO, 1925. Serial No. 72,134.

that encloses the resistance element, against a resilient means, that automatically operates to maintain the resistance element disconnected from said source, but which is supported in position for connection and yet may be readily-removed from its support and used. The invention has for its objects other advantages and features which will appear from the following description and upon examination of the drawings.

The invention may be contained in cigar and cigarette lighters that difler in their details of construction. To illustrate. a practical application of the invention I have selected a structure as an example of structures that contain the invention 7 and shall describe it hereinafter. The structure selected for purposes of illustration is shown in the accompanying drawings. p.

Figure 1 o the drawings is a perspective View of the cigar and cigarette lighter referred to. Fig. 2 is a view of a section taken through the ldngitudinal axis of the cigar lighter. Fig; 3 is a view of a section taken on the plane of the line 3-3 indicated in Fig. 2. Fig. is a view of a shell for supporting resistance elenientand yieldinglyretaining the f element in position for connection with the source of current. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view showing the manner in "which the resistance element may be re-= movably connected.

By my invention a resistance element 1 is connected to terminals2 and 3 which are embedded in or contained within an in-. sulating body but which may. be uncovered in order to establish electric ctmnectipn with a source of an electric current. The. re-

sistance element is so connected to its ter-I minals that it may be readily separated from its terminals and the resistance element and the terminals are so supported that they may be removed from their position for connection with the source-of current and used without having connected therewith the wires that are commonl used to connect resistance orheat coils directly to the source. The resistance element, which is preferably made in the form of the coil having a relatively'large diameter to prevent undue clogging of the coil by the ashes of cigars or cigarettes, is removably connected tothe terminals 2 and 3. The terminals 2 and 3 have sockets 5 for receiving the ends of the wire that'form's the resistance element 1. The ends of the wire may substantially fit the sockets 5 or the ends of thewire ma be bent or clamped so as to be frictiona ly held in position within the terminals 2 and 3 as shown in Fig. 5. The terminals 2 and 3 are threaded into a block 6 of insulating material and the resistance element 1 is located in a recess 7 that is formed in the block. Asbestos S'may be located between the resistance element 1 and the block to prevent direct contact between the resistance element and the block and also to form a means for preventing the transfer of heat from the resistance element. A sheet metal ferrule 9 may be used to -cover the'inner end of the block 6. The ends of the wire that form the resistance element 1 pass down through openings formed in the block and into the sockets 5 of the terminals 2 and 3. Thus the resistance element 1 may be removed from the lighter and replaced as may be desired. This is for purposes ofrepairs or replacement. The block 6 is located in the lower end of a sheet metal sleeve 12. The sleeve 12 is provided with a circular depression 13 near its lower end. A second sheet metal shell or sleeve 14 is fixedly secured in position for supporting the electric heating element and its terminals. The shell 14 is provided with a plurality of tongues 15 which are depressed within the circumfers ence of the upper end of the shell 14 and form elastic means for engaging the lower end' of the sleeve 12 and particularly in the circular depression 13. A cross section of the surface of the depression taken through the axis of the sleeve 12 is curved so that thetongues tend to maintain their'ends at the bottom of the depression 13 so that when the sleeve 12 is pushed downwards the ends of the tongues Wlll ride upon the upper portion ofthe surface of the depression'13 and when the shell 12 is released the tongues tend .to return to the position such that the tongues will engage the bottom of the depression. The terminals 2 and 3 protrude from the'block 6 and consequently contact headsof the screws beingcounter-sunk to such a point that their upper surfacesare located slightly below the surface of the block 18. Thus when the sleeve 12 is 1:0-

tated and while it is being depressed against the resiliency 6f the tongues 15 the terminals 2 and 3 will be brought to a stop by their entrance into the countersunk portions of the block 18. This will bring the terminals 2 and 3 in alinement with the contacts 17. The terminals 17 are located the same distance from the axis of the shell 14 that the terminals 2 and 3 are located from the axis of the sleeve 12 and consequently when the sleeve 12 is pressed downward against the resiliencyof the tongues 15 and the terminals.2 and 3 are in alinement with the terminals 17, connection will be made between the source of supply of an electric current and the resistance element 1. The block 18 may be secured to a collar 20 or maybe formed integral therewith. Also .it may be secured toa sleeve-21 which may be inserted in the instrument board of an automobile and the lighter may be secured in position b means of the nut 22. The collar 20 and s eeve 21, whether made integral with the block 18 or otherwise, are preferably formed of insulatin material. Also the sleeve 12 is preferaby covered by a sleeve 23 of insulating material to prevent electrical contact with the current when the instrument is in use. The lower end of the sleeve 23 is preferably flared as at 24 in order to permit free movement of the upper end of the shell .14 except as such movement is resisted by the resiliency of the tongues 15. The sleeves 12 and 23 form a shell 25 for containing the resistance element.

In order to prevent the operators hand from coming in contact with the terminals 2 and 3 which may be heated by conduction of the heat from the resistance element 1, the insulating head 4 covers or encloses the terminals. The insulating body 4 is pref.- erably in the form of a disc in which the ends ofthe'terminals 2 and.3 are located.

The disc 4 is secured in position by means of- -the bolt 27 which is threaded into the block Sand the spring 28 which is located in a socket 29. The disk 4 is normally held between the outer end of the spring 28 and the head of a, bolt 27. A socket 3Q is formed in the block 18 for receiving the lower end portion of thehead of the'bolt 27. This also aids in locating the shell 25 in coaxial relation" with respect to the sleeve 14 and the block18 and provides for the longitudinal, that is, the axial movement of the bolt 27 when the shell 25- is depressed. When the shell 25 is depressed the disc 4 is carried of the block 4 so that they can enter the counter-sunk portions of the block 18 and make contact with the contacts 17, that is,

terminals of the wires that are connected to the source of electric current, when the terminals 2 and 3 are in alinement with the contacts 17 In order that this position maywith the heads of the screws that form the be readily detected by the operator of the instrument, a pair of spring pressed pins 32 are located in the block 18 and so as to protrude from the upper surface of the blocks. Springs 33 are located in sockets formed in the block and between the collar 20 and the lower ends of the pins 32. The

. pins. 32 are thus yieldingly pressed upwards.

The disc 4 is provided with a pair of recesses or holes'34 for receiving the ends of the pins 32. The pins 32 and the holes 34 are located diametricall opposite and consequently within the limitations of a one half turn the pins will enter the holes 34 and thus the alinement of the terminals 2 and 3 with the' contact 17 may be quickly determined.

In the operation .of the lighter, the user depresses the shell 25 until the lower ends of the terminals 2 and 3 strike the-upper surface of the block 18. The shell 25 is then rotated until the pins 32 enter the holes 34 when further rotation will be stopped and by the inward pressure which is maintained in order to push the shell 25 down against the action of the tongues 15 and the spring this position until the resistance element 1 has become sufliciently heated to'light a cigar or cigarette. The shell 25 may then be readily pulled from the shell 14 and the lighter placed against the end of a cigar or cigarette until it is lighted. The shell 25 may then be replaced on theend of the shell 14 where it will be resiliently held in position for connection by the electric heating element and the sourceof cuirent.

I claim: g

1. In a cigar and cigarette'lighter, a shell, a pair of electric terminals located in the shell a second shell telescopingly supported by the first named shell, the first named shell havlng a circular depression and the second named shell having tongues for maintaining the first named shell in position relative to the'second named shell, a resistance element located in the second named shell and having terminals adapted to make contact with menses terminals adapted to make contact with the electric terminals in the first named shell, a isc resiliently su ported on the end of the second named shel for enclosing the outer ends ot the terminals of the second named shell, the said disc having recesses, a block supported in the first named shell and spring pressed pins protruding from the said block for engaging in the recesses of the said disc to place the terminals of the second named shell in alinement with the electric terminals of the first named shell.

3. ln an electric cigar and cigarette lighter, a shell, a pair of electric terminals connected to a source of supply or" an electrio current and located in the shell, a second shell telescopingly and removably sup-- ported by the first named shell, a resistance element located in the second named shell and having contacts at its ends adapted to make contact with the electric terminals in the first named shell and an elastic means for normally maintaining the contacts separated from the terminals. l. ln an electric cigar and cigarette lighter, a shell, a pair of electric terminals connected to a source of electric current and located in the shell, a second shell, a resistance element located in the second named shell and having contacts at its ends adapted to make contact with the electric terminals in the first named shell, the first named shell having elasticrmeans for resiliently holding the second named shell in axial alinement with the first named shell and means located on the second named shell for normally covering the contacts,

5. in an electric cigar and cigarette lighter, a shell, a pair of terminals connected to a source of supply of an electric current located in the shell, a second shell telescopingly supported by the first named shell, a re-- slstance element located in the second named shell and having contacts connected to its ends adapted to make contact with the electric terminals in the first named shell, a spring pressed disc connected 'to the first named shell, the ends of the contacts of the second named shell being located Within the said disc, the first named shell having means for uncovering the contacts when the sec ond named shell is moved inwardly with respect to the first named shell.

6. In electric cigar and cigarette lighter, a shell, a pair of electric terminals located in the shell a second shell telescopingly and removal) y supported by the first named shell, a resistance element located in the second named shell and having contact connected to itsvends and adapted to make contact with the electflojfirminals in the first named shell, a7 disc resiliently supported on the end of the second named shell for enclosing the outer ends of the contacts, a

hlock supported in the first named shell and having recesses the ends of the terminals located in the bottom of the recesses.

7. In a cigar and cigarette lighter, a shell, a pair of electric terminals'located in the shell, a second shell telescopingly supported by the first named shell, a resistance element located in the second named shell and having terminals adapted to malrecontact with the electric terminals in the first named shell, a disc resilientlysupported on the end of the second named shell for enclosing the outer ends of the terminals of the second named shell, the said disc having recesses, block supported in the first named shell spring pressed pins protruding from he said block for engaging in the recesses of said disc to place the terminals or" the second named shell in alinement with the electric terminals of the first named shell and means for elastically holding a second named shell in position and the contacts away from the terminals,

lna cigar and cigarette lighter, a shell, a pair of electric terminals located in the shell, a second shell telescopingly supported hy the first named shell, a resistance e ment located in the second named shell having terminals adapted to make contact wi the electric terminals in the shell, a disc resiliently supported on of the second named shell for outer ends of the terminals 0" named shell, a block supporte in named shell and having recesses, th ends of the terminals located in the of the recesses and means for elastically holding the second named shell in position. and the contacts away from the terminals.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

BENJAMIN L. METZGER. 

